It was a chilly May Day morning and nurses joined hands with about 150 people outside Wellington Regional Hospital to kick off nationwide events marking International Workers’ Day.
‘It’s our time now to stand together for the fight against this incredibly anti-worker Government.’
The cross-union event, with hui running from Whangārei to Invercargill, aimed to put a spotlight on the Coalition Government’s ongoing employment law changes, and the erosion of workers’ rights in election year.
The Wellington rally included a show of human chain-making force with members from NZNO, PSA and NZEI linking arms across the street from the hospital to the nearby Newtown School.
NZNO president Anne Daniels, standing at the intersection of Adelaide and Mein St near the hospital’s emergency department, wished the crowd could simply be celebrating workers’ day.
‘We’re working with far too few staff and it’s not safe for us, and it’s not safe for our patients.’
Instead they were being forced to protest against “a decimation of workers’ rights”, she said — covering everything from sick pay, holiday pay, and simply a lack of pay.
Unions were standing up together across New Zealand to tell the Government it wasn’t good enough, she said.
“We’re working with far too few staff and it’s not safe for us, and it’s not safe for our patients.”
Nearby, Wellington nurse Tweena Samuel had turned up straight off a night shift on the maternity ward. She was there to protest how many nurses were burning out from constant short-staffing.
“People are reluctant to take breaks,” she told Kaitiaki. “We are getting burnt out from having to do longer hours.”
‘I am very concerned with the levels of safe staffing and clearly this is going to have to be something addressed in Government.’
Beside her was registered nurse (RN) and delegate Gitta Majumder who could see the impacts of short-staffing in the workplace — the tiredness and reluctance by nurses to leave their patients and simply have a rest.
“Young nurses are getting burnt out, and maybe not staying in nursing.”
RN Shelah Wiseman said hospitals desperately needed to be employing more nurses, to plug the gaps. “We were short today — and are short most of the time,” she said.
‘We are getting burnt out from having to do longer hours.’
A safer health system was what neonatal nurse Nickie Moore wanted, “for us and for our families” while NZNO delegate and paediatric nurse Mel Anderson was quite simply fed up with workers’ rights being “destroyed” by the Government.
Wellington hospital RN Mohamed Kamal, also a delegate, had made an early trip from Newlands on “a freezing morning” before his regular 8am start.
He was there to fight for the rights to safe staffing and fair pay.
“We need lots of things to be done — so we can keep the nurses here in the country and keep health care for all New Zealanders — it’s what they deserve.”
In Palmerston North, nurse Amber Frith said it was her first time at a May Day workers’ event.
“For me it was really nice seeing the solidarity across different industries . . . all coming together with the same sort of message,” she told Kaitiaki.
“It raised awareness for me of all the issues other people are facing.”
Meanwhile later in the day a second gathering in Wellington — a paid union meeting — was held at Cuba Mall in central Wellington: bringing together about 300-plus members from multiple unions.
‘It raised awareness for me of all the issues other people are facing.’
NZ Council of Trade Unions general secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges told the crowd packing the mall that workers had won their current protections – but rights were going backwards and at risk from an “atrocious” Government.
“It’s our time now to stand together for the fight against this incredibly anti-worker Government.”
The crowd included a group of radiology nurses from Wellington hospital.
Wellington nurse Jaison Abraham was one of 11 nurses who turned out for the midday protest. He said more wanted to come from their team of 23 but were not allowed.
Workers’ rights? What rights?
On May 6, 2025, the Government announced it was introducing and passing the law gutting pay equity claims the same day.
At that point, 14 claims had been settled, and 33 were still underway.
The changes saved the Government $12.8 billion for Budget 2025. A dozen of the claims that were axed were raised by NZNO.
Speakers across the country, including NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter, were expected to address the Government’s attacks on working people’s rights.
This ranged from the rollback of pay equity and changes to the Holidays Act; the cost-of-living crisis, restoration of fair pay agreements, properly funded public services, and fair tax.
Short-staffing needs a fix
Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall told Kaitiaki she was “very concerned” about hospital staffing levels — and this would be tackled by Labour if re-elected.
“I am very concerned with the levels of safe staffing and clearly this is going to have to be something addressed in Government.”
Verrall — who attended with Labour leader Chris Hipkins — said she was very aware of how much workers were struggling with living costs. If re-elected, Labour would focus on “initiatives that will improve material conditions of their lives” — jobs, health and houses.